Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. – Confucius
I have set myself a goal, that by February 1 2008 I will have simplified/deluttered the house, my studio area, my wardrobe, the garage, my computers, the old PC and the new macbook, my email in boxes – old outlook, new mac mail plus gmail, clarifyied my blogging goals for 2008, getting the accounts clear and just another 20 or so things in my note book.
I have seen a little procrastination set in
So I headed over to Zen Habits see what Leo Babauta, the master of simplicity had to say:
“Simplifying can sometimes be overwhelming. The amount of stuff you have in your life and the amount of things you have to do can be too big a mountain to tackle.”
Leo outlines 10 ways you can simplify your life to deal with the overwhelm that comes with this simplifying process.
I love the idea of having clear in trays and I know today having empty email inboxes was pure bliss and so much easier to process.
It’s the full in trays I will tackle next.
I would welcome you sharing any similar experiences you may have had and how you overcame the feeling of overwhelm.
{ 5 comments }
This describes me perfectly. I would LOVE to get our place decluttered. I really WANT to simplify. But I procrastinate because the whole thought overwhelms me. I’m trying to work on babysteps which works some days and not others. :-/
You might consider knocking that monolith down in size. Pick one small action you can do every day toward achieving ONE of your goals. Take credit for the action you actually take – mark it down. You know what the Chinese masters said about the journey of a thousand miles…
Hi Suzie
Clearing clutter (and the things to do) is a massive energiser. It frees up time to think and allows a positive flow into your life.
I have a red felt tip pen on my desk and put a spot on everything that passes across it. The idea is that the paper doesn’t get measles. You see it, deal with – shred it or whatever – you never get to put a second red spot on it – hopefully.
I also have a pile of “things to look at when I get the time” After 2 weeks if I’ve not looked at the items they’re ditched because they couldn’t have been that important. Mark
I think we all have these ‘lists’ of ‘things to do’. And we all procrastinate! I have a blitz on certain things every so often. Funnily enough I have just organised my favourite bookmarks into folders! Feels good once you have achieved something you have been meaning to do. The trick is just to start, you soon get into the flow of it! Good luck with your goals!
When things look like they are overwhelming you Leunig helps – you might have seen his “Whale on Toast”. If not you can find it here.
http://pickledeel.com/?p=74